The Librium Universe is a science fiction setting that takes place in a 5,000 light year irregular sphere. Within this sphere are 600 million stars, 180 of these stars have planets, 54 million of those planets have life or are capable of supporting life, humanity is able to live on 13.5 million of those planets without major terraforming or other technological support.
Picture provided for sense of scale:
The Physical Universe, Hyperspace and Directions:
On directions, the traditional Terran directions of North, East, South and West are used in relation to direction from the center of explored space they are generally used in a 2d sense, with the directions Up and Down added to denote 3d position. This system is widely used by most beings but is very impresice in regards to determining planet placement.
South is coreward, a ship heading south is heading towards the general direction of the galactic core and the Sagittarius arm.
North is rimward, a ship heading North is heading towards the general direction of the galactic rim and the Perseus arm.
Hyperspace engines do two things and only two things. They open gates from the Physical Universe to Hyperspace and open gates from Hyperspace to the Physical Universe. They do not provide any form of motion to the ship. This requires ships to also carry secondary or sub-light engines that actually move the ship both in the Physical Universe and within Hyperspace. A variety of devices are used for that purpose.
Hyperspace itself is a high energy state, shields are needed to protect ships from being destroyed by the amount of energy that runs freely through it. Very little is know about it, as direct study is somewhat problematic. It is known that locations are much, much closer together in Hyperspace then in the Physical Universe, where without Hyperspace a voyage between two star systems may take decades or even centuries, using Hyperspace they can take months or weeks. Hypserspace does not seem effected by conditions within the Physical Universe.
Because sublight engines are used even in Hyperspace, ships do have to stop to take on fresh fuel, as well as food, atmosphere and water. It is also considered a smart thing to stop every 150 lightyears to check the shields and other systems. Also ships, at least law abiding civilian ships always go from system to system never going into the true void of space between star systems. This has an effect on what routes a ship takes, there are two specific astrographic conditions that can severely limit a ships operational range.
Barrens; barrens are stretches of space that no inhabitable planets within them. These planets do not just have no lifeforms, they have no water or oxygen based atmospheres. The lack of ready resupply points makes most spacers wary of attempted crossing without a a good star map.
Wastes; Wastes are vast stretches of completely empty void. No stars, no planets, nothing. Many spacers will flat out refuse to cross large wastes, as many superstitious beliefs abound about the effects of crossing such a place even while in Hyper.
On exiting and entering Hyperspace, gravity while it does not effect hyperspace or travel within Hyperspace, does effect the entry and exiting of that realm. It is generally considered wise to keep a light minute of space between you and a gravity well per "G" that gravity well is producing. For example if you are dropping into the Physical Space from Hyperspace in the neighborhood of a gas gaint that had a gravity of 12 "G's" you would do so at least 12 light minutes away.
Not following such a rule can cause nasty effects, such as being dropped into Physical Space a random area (like inside the said planet or through another ship) having the gate close while you're halfway through it, or your Hyperdrive exploding. For this reason it an act of desperation to even attempt such a thing.
On Humanity:
Humans and their subspecies, collective know has transhumans are the dominant species of the area in political, military and economic terms. This is widely held to be a result of humans being both the first species to discover hyperdrive technology and being among one of the most expansionary species (this does not necessaryly mean warlike).
History; The human development of hyperdrive resulted from what may have been an evolutionary fluke. Humanity according to commonly accepted legend had colonized and fully settled it's semi-mythical home solar system of Earth with some expansion occurring in the Oort clouds surrounding the system. It was among that segment of the population that psionic abilities arose, one of the most dramatic abilities being that of being able to access what is commonly called hyperspace. While it took a long time humanity was eventually able to imitate the feat using technology. It was at this time the first exodus occurred.
Hyperdrive engines were and remain expensive to build and maintain, for many groups however this was an acceptable cost to gain a planet of their very own. Billions of humans belonging to thousands of political, religious, and enthic groups sold all they own in order to pay for both colonization equipment and a hyper capable ship. In addition to this the various nation-states of the solar system (even at this point of human history the species was not politically united) begin sending out their own expeditions.
The process would repeat itself during the cycle of revolts, wars, empire and balkanization over thousands of years that would much more space then is readily available in this document to detail. During this process the exact location of Earth was lost, there are currently 12 inhabited systems and 5 ruined systems that are possible candidates for the location of Earth. All of these systems are roughly in the center 20 light years of explored space.
Current Politics, a quick overview; Humanity is not united by any single system of government, religion or even economics. While this provides Anthropologists with wonderful job security it tends to drives most other professions to the brink of insanity. Most humans will be born, life and die on the same planet, that planet is more then likely to be ruled by a government whose power who controls exactly one star system and all who live in it. There are, however a great number of nations who control several star systems and even the existence of great powers who control hundreds of star systems. Currently there exist only 2 superpowers who control thousands of of star systems and no powers who control more then that. The two superpowers are the League of Humanity and the Asseverate.
The League of Humanity is a loose confederation (being somewhere between a superstate and a military alliance) established by the winning powers of the Alliance War. It has a staggering number of members, protectorates and associate powers. Located on the western part of explored space, it dominates a truly vast amount of territory and population. The League has a number of requirements for membership among the forefront being that governments grant certain rights to their citizens those being:
I: Right of Free Speech, citizens of League Members shall have the right to express political, religious or other sentiment without fear of punishment.
II: Right of Religion, citizens of League Members shall have ability to freely chose their religion without fear of government disfavor. Nor shall a League member enforce membership or lack of membership in a religion, belief or school of thought.
III: Right of Assembly, citizens of League Members shall have the right to peacefully assemble and address their leaders and governments for the redress of grievances without fear of punishment or retaliation.
IV: Right to Fair Trail and Treatment, citizens of League Members shall have a right to a fair trail where their guilt or innocence may be proven without pressure from any government. Citizens of League Members are to be free from the threat of torture or abuse from law enforce officials nor may a government induce private citizens to preform such acts upon their fellow citizens.
A number of other rights are usually granted but not considered part of the requirements. The League is governed by the League Assembly which is made up of representatives from League member states. The LA has limited powers in regards to the internal policies of member states but can dictate the size of minimum contributions, vote to admit new members, punish those in violation of League Laws and declare war for the League as a whole.
The 3 largest powers of the League of Humanity are the United Protectorates, Confederation of Logos and the Hispanic Union.
Asseverate- The single largest power in explored space. Ruled by a group of transhumans called Asserters, who hold all political power and have engineered the expansion and maintainece of their nation for centuries. The Asseverate is described as the ultimate nanny state. From birth to death the lives of it's citizens is supervised in every detail. This is not to say they are oppressed, the vast majority of the citizens live very comfortable lives and completely support the system that honestly asks very little of them.
The Asseverate is ruled by the Primary Senate located on a homeworld whose location is classified. The Primary Senate elects officers from within itself to fulfilled needed offices and functions as the need arises.
Transhuman groups quick overview;
Dancers, are heavily modified humans.. Possibly the most heavily modified in explored space, because they exist in the harshest of conditions, hard vacuum. Their lungs are incredibly efficient, their livers contain an 'air sac' to hold up to an hour's worth of air, and nicitating membranes and specially designed muscles allow their body to seal up when they step out. Unfortunately, these mods mean that normal planets are basically death for them; full G would cripple them, and their lungs are so efficient they're dangerously vunerable to any kind of impurities. They got their name for their sheer grace; a Dancer in flight outside a space station is a ballet of it's own, and of course, they have their own, widely attended, dance halls for performances
Spots; A human mutation that has arisen on several dozen human occupied worlds. Basically freckles that have expanded and arranged themselves in patterns that hold true for the entire ethic group. Each group has a different real name for their planetary ethic group but as a group they are called spots. The patterns are genetically dominant but they can interbreed with baseline humanity and most transhuman groups. Some are League Members others are under Asseverate domination. Spots uniformly have pale skin and the majority of them have red or light colored hair, although dark hair is not unheard of.
Elves; a common transhuman group, designed for attractiveness, grace, slenderness and long life. Identifable by several physical traits, such as pointed ears, lack of body or facial hair and low body fat. Elves tend to be highly intelligent, agile and fast, they do however have lower endurance and upper body strength then base line humans. Elves tend to do poorly in extreme climes or with pre-industrial tech bases. Elves for the most part do not separate world but mix with all the other groups of humanity. There Elvish citizens of the League and the Asseverate as well with unaffiliated nations.
Sub-groups:
AElves, members of a elvish ethic group that have larger ears and brightly non-standard hair such as pink, purple, green or blue. They tend to be short.
Dark Elves, elvish ethic group with gunmetal black skin and white hair. They have good night vision.
Wanderers, unique among Transhumans for having evolved naturally away from humanity in the earliest years of space exploration, Wanderers were the key to the eventual dominance of Humanity over space.
The Wanderers quickly began being identified through genetic research, and through mental discipline, began to expand their powers, constantly aided by scientists eager to unlock this new development. The strange realm they accessed.. And at times, travelled through.. Has come to be known as Hyperspace in the vernacular.
Technology based on their 'mental' powers was developed as fast as it could be, and assisted in Humanity's rapid expansion. But as they learned to develop their powers to individual apexs, they kept some secrets from humanity; no need to render yourself defenseless, should your older brother get too rough.
Their powers are the template on which hyperspace, shielding, and FTL sensor/communication technology was based on. At present, however, most of them have parted ways with humanity. Little is known about them, but it is widely accepted that the Wanders have taken to dwelling within the realm of Hyperspace itself, sightings of Wanders or so called Wander Ships are few and far between but several generalities may be made.
Wanders will not allow for the creation of weapons that may be used in Hyperspace. They have taken devastating military action against those who persist in researching such technologies.
Within the Physical Universe Wanders are most often sighted around the ruins of extinct alien species who are believed to have been capable of FTL travel. It is unknown why Wanders have such an interest in these places although theories and rumors are many.
Asserters, the governing race of the Asseverate. They are known for their prefect physical appearance and high mental abilities.
Jotan, creations of the Asserters, these 3 meter tall monsters make up the majority of the shock troops of the Asseverate and a good part of it's standard foot infantry.
Known Alien Species.
Squid Heads: Their actual name being a flash of color on their skin. These creatures stand at 2.3 meters tall and weigh 75 kilograms. They are descended from an aquatic cephalopod like species on a low gravity world. Amphibious, they must keep their gills moist and are tied to the water for breeding, but are otherwise capable of living for extended periods on land.
To support themselves on their low-gravity world they use a system of tighly interlocking muscles, on higher gravity worlds they must move around like a landed octopus unless they are supported by water.
In addition to their standing height, they also posses 3 eye-stalks that are approximately .6 meters in length. They normally communicate via a system of flashing colors generated from their chromatophore-laced skin, however they have adapted a computer system that translates from their brain directly to and from any language they choose.
Grinners; A alien Species that has sworn fealty to the Lord Protector. They are natives of a cold dry world that mostly resembles the Russian/Central Asian Steppe, although with the UP aide's the Grinners have set up colonies on a additional 4 worlds. By human standards they are short, standing a little over a meter when they reach physical and sexual maturity, however males do not stop growing adding a 3 to 6 centimeters to their height every 10 standard Terran years. They are covered head to toe by a light coat of brown fuzz. Carnivorous and evolved from pack hunters they live in tribal groups ruled by coalitions of the oldest males who are usually family members, their tech level is to the point where they can make their own chemical firearms but for social reasons they have not had an industrial revolution . They have a human like sense of humor and are the only other Species that smiles to show friendship. However their teeth are all pointed so it's a bit unnerving. They are not considered to be part of the UP has such (legally they are a protectorate of the UP) but are accorded all the protections of UP citizens under law. Currently the Social Reconstruct teams are attempting to gradually steer the Grinners has a whole towards higher levels of social and technological progress and organization without damaging their culture. Grinners can be addicted to a number of human drugs and the UP has put a death sentence on transporting those drugs to the Grinner worlds, this is due to the constant fear in the UP government of causing or allowing someone else to cause a social collapse among the Grinners.
Sliianerians; A proto-mammalian Species that stills has a lot of reptilian characterizes. They tower over humans and most other Species being 2 and a half meters tall in addition they have six limbs. A pair of 'true arms' are the top most limbs which are the best suited for tool use and fine munpilations. The middle limbs are refered to as 'leg-arms' able to preform tool use but not up to fine use such as typing on a keyboard or picking a lock, when a Sliianerian desires to move at a quick pace he drops down to use the 'leg-arm' as a set of legs. The bottom most limbs are 'true legs' are the prime means of locomotion. Endothermic and Omnivorous but still laying eggs and covered in a hide of scales they have 3 sexes, a male, female and a neuter who acts as a living nest. The eggs are fertilized in an act of mating between the male and female who then lays the eggs inside a pouch like body cavity in the neuter. The neuter then carries the eggs to hatching, all 3 sexes share child rearing duties (feeding newly hatched babes for example is considered to a male duty, while teaching the newborns is seen as a female duty as a result food raising, preparation and serving are mescaline roles while teaching is feminine, ground combat and medical care are seen as a neuter roles). They had colonized 15 worlds using slower then light ships with cyrogentically frozen colonists before contact with humanity and gaining hyperdrive tech via that contact. While tougher and stronger then humans they are not as aggressive or competitive. They tend to prefer hot, dry worlds.
Covusinians/Avians:
These lanky bird-analogues stand at 1.6-1.8 meters in height and weigh 40-50 kilograms. They posses hollow bones and in addition to flight feathers, stretches of skin between their arms and legs, and between their legs ending just above the elongated ankle. They lack a beak, instead having a toothed snout (think about what a combination between a flying squirrel and archeopterix would look like)
On their homeworld which has a thick atmosphere and lower gravity than earth norm, they are capable of flight and have a natural talent for solving three dimensional problems. In the military they most often hold command positions, or act as pilots and navigators.
These creatures mate for life and value the autonomy of their family units. Males contribute significantly to the welfare of their offspring and are strongly monogamous. Females tend to be slightly larger than males.
The avians, commonly called Covusinians, are widely known for being the only species to develop warfare by air before infantry (in fact, any use of the ground in warfare was rare). Though not very maneuverable fliers, they often found ways to compensate. While much of their strategy, tactics, and logistic theory of war before their discovery is not relevant to space-based war (being ways to best utilize their flight while working around their weaknesses), their natural ability to think in three dimensions still makes them highly valued for tactical, command, navigation, and piloting positions. Because their bodies are optimized for flight and evolved in a lower gravity, however, they make poor general soldiers and are seen (often unfairly) as being fragile.
Their civilizations never progressed beyond a level equivalent to the Iron Age of humans. Ten of their years before discovery, their world population consisted of approximately 70 million individuals living on every continent and most habitable islands (for obvious reasons, they had less trouble colonizing their world than did humans). The most advanced civilizations worked iron and other metals, had agriculture and domestication, and even built monumental structures and cities (though quite different from equivalent Iron Age cities, due to their differing requirements and capabilities) while other societies ranged down to remnant hunter-gatherer groups in marginal and difficult climates.
Seven years before discovery, their world was sent into chaos.
A supervolcano, similar in size to the Toba supervolcano which is believed to have caused a population bottleneck in early humans, erupted near the equator. While it is believed that few avians died directly from the eruption, the effects on the world climate were severe. The world was sent into an instant ice age, and crops failed in agricultural societies around the world. Civilizations fell as entire populations starved to death and city-states fought for scraps of food.
Hunter-gatherers actually fared slightly better on average, as did herding nomads, as they were more mobile and could follow their prey or drive their herds along to new grazing lands. Incidentally, the one major agricultural group that survived, the Covusinians proper, did so partly by having large herds and by unintentionally mimicking hunter-gatherers. (Because the survivors of the Covusinian Empire were, by far, the largest intact avian group and because they made up nearly half of the survivors besides, their name was often applied to the species as a whole. While this is incorrect, it’s no closer to their own name than calling them ‘avians.’ These naming difficulties will be elaborated more in the section below on nomenclature.)
Nomenclature
Avians typically go by two names: their personal name, which only other avians can pronounce, and their given name, one that humans and human-derivatives can pronounce. Avians have a unique vocal structure that allows them to make two or even three different tones simultaneously (even allowing some to harmonize with themselves) and also have a greater range of sounds. Attempts to try to write them in human-derived systems (such as in musical notation) have typically failed. Given names are usually self-chosen but are sometimes childhood nicknames which are adopted at a certain age. However, given names are considered more flexible than names in other species and they often change it as it fits their personalities.
Covusinians proper, and the Epic of the God-King of the Covusinians
The Covusinian Empire was one of the larger civilizations on their homeworld, numbering nearly half a million (estimated). The government was based on levels of control, starting with family clusters up to the highest ruler, the God-King (or, more often than not, actually, the Goddess-Queen). The children of a God-King/Queen were considered ordinary mortals that needed to pass through secret rites and trials in order to obtain divinity. These rites are now lost, but it is known that only one of every generation ended up surviving to become the divine ruler at the death of the previous one.
When the supervolcano erupted, the Empire suffered just as much as the other civilizations, but with one major difference. The God-King, for reasons never explained, determined that attempting to stay within their cities was hopeless, and decreed that they must all migrate north to warmer lands (the empire was in the southern hemisphere).
All able-bodied avians loaded themselves with whatever food and supplies they could carry while flying and followed the God-King north in the greatest flight ever seen on their world. Those too young to fly, the sick, and the elderly were all abandoned. The herds of the Covusinians were driven before them and they kept moving, stopping only long enough for the herds to eat everything edible in an area before continuing on. As they flew, those who were exhausted, ill, and emaciated simply fell to their deaths and were lost. The shrinking numbers of survivors faced and fought increasingly small but desperate groups of survivors from other groups for food and fodder.
Seven years after the eruption, a survey ship from the League of Humanity arrived for the first detailed survey of the planet for possible colonization, as long distance surveys had detected a world with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. They found a world that had just become very chilly and was set to undergo even more unstable climate fluctuations. They also detected a very strange forest fire in the dying remnants of the tropical rain forests…
…where the last eleven thousand survivors of the Covusinian Empire, rallied around its God-King, were burning the forest to drive out the game. The survey team sent down a small craft to analyze the fire up close and found themselves in a First Contact situation.
The survey ship called for help as the crew did what it could to help the Covusinian survivors and track down survivors scattered across the world. Within a few months, the twenty-three thousand, four hundred forty seven survivors had been airlifted off their homeworld to their strange new destiny in space.
The God-King was barely clinging to life when they were discovered and clung on just long enough to see that his people would survive. Less than a year after the airlift, as he was dying, the people asked him what the secret rites were in order to get a new God-King. He told them, “You do not need those anymore. You have far better gods now.â€